Namak Restaurant

REVIEW Namak Restaurant Review

Despite having opened as recently as February 2022, ‘Namak’ on Mina road, St. Werburghs, in addition to being nominated for a national award, has already gained official status as one of Bristol’s top restaurants. After having enjoyed an exceptionally good meal there upon my first visit recently, I spoke with Harris; Namak’s Head Chef, as I was enthusiastic to learn more about his project.

Having already been based in Bristol for nine years, Harris has been pleased to discover the clientele in this city to be on the whole discerning, adventurous, relatively well informed, and greatly appreciative of authentic dining experiences. The widespread appreciation for authentic food from diverse and eclectic cultural backgrounds serves accordingly to attract specialist chefs and investors, and this in turn helps to generate an environment within which a chef may be free to represent their skills. It was primarily for this reason then that after spending a number of years working with highly reputable establishments in The Big Smoke, Harris ultimately returned to Bristol, as in addition to being able to enjoy a more peaceful life here, the city has also provided an environment in which he has felt free to explore more creativity in his culinary innovations.

Harris joined a food production programme in Delhi when he was 19 years old, and studied there for three years, during which time he came to be well-versed in the preparation of many different cuisines. Upon his qualification, he secured a position in India’s first “Live Kitchen” (continuous with restaurant space), so when he first encountered the premises on Mina Road with their open-plan Live Kitchen setup, it immediately put him in mind of the buzz and excitement which he first experienced whilst first honing his skills in Delhi at the outset of his career. He enjoys the confidence that the transparency of this dynamic inspires among his guests, as they are free to observe the cooking procedures in progress and see for themselves that their meals are being prepared freshly for them in a hygienic environment. Namak is the only Live Indian Kitchen in Bristol. written by George Dunn Having been, at various points during the past twenty years, part of the Opening Team for five separate Five-Star establishments, Harris has been able to apply this knowledge in the conception of Namak’s menu. As such, instead of simply offering the standard six to eight pages'-worth of fairly generic and heavily frequented meal choices (over which one might be expected to briefly deliberate before predictably ordering exactly the same thing again), his menu is in fact the shortest of its kind in Bristol. Amongst colourful and exciting re-imaginings of some classic favourites, Namak’s menu offers an inventive selection of less familiar options. As a group of six, we were able between us to order and sample a variety of items. Without wishing to get unnecessarily bogged down with Field-Notes; in addition to being some of the most aesthetically pleasing dishes with which I can remember being presented in some time, their flavours were in every aspect nothing short of an inspiration.

During previous times, I was on happily familiar terms with ‘The Cauldron’ from the day upon which it first opened the doors of its newly refurbished premises until the day that they closed again for the last time. It was then particularly heart-warming to discover upon our first visit to ‘Namak’, that not only had the friendly atmosphere and appearance of its predecessor been retained, incorporated, and built upon, but their gastronomic fare is without question entirely consistent with the exceptional standards to which I had become accustomed during ‘The Cauldron’s tenure. I look forward to my next visit, and would advise anyone to do similarly!